Are you ready for another 4 PM Bay Area TV Newscast? KTVU thinks you are. The Fox-owned station will add an early afternoon show starting this summer called the KTVU FOX 2 News at 4 p.m
KTVU will compete with KGO-TV as the other station in the market with a 4 PM show. KGO's newscast at 4 is centered on more consumer news, light-fare stories and more like a prelude to the traditional newsy 5 and 6 PM newscasts. KTVU's 4 PM newscast figures to go that route with a similar strategy but the specifics aren't known yet.
The 4 PM hour has been known as the Death Valley of time slots so this is a bold move for KTVU. The anchors aren't known yet but we'll inquire from our eyes and ears in Jack London Square and see who are the possible players.
*Follow me on Twitter
{h/t TV Spy}
For starters, good to see you back in the saddle. Missed the media muckraking – and they need it.
ReplyDeleteJust what viewers need is another newscast. Actually, it’s cheap “original” programming. It’s also better than watching TMZ TV, Dr. Oz and the judge of the day. However, viewers will be subjected to more “Breaking News” screen flashes than ever.
Thank goodness there’s satellite TV, where you have a choice.
Will KTVU be adding additional writers/producers/editors....or will the existing staff be saddled with more work?
ReplyDeleteAnd will the rest of the day's shows simply re-hash everything you see on the 4pm? Will "Story X" be a "live" VOSOT at 4...a live PKG at 5...another "fresh" live VOSOT at 6pm...and then a re-PKG by the nightside staff???
THIS...is why local TV news sucks so bad these days.
I guess all went well. Thank God! I'm glad you're back and I hope your mom is getting better.
ReplyDeleteIf 2 was smart, They'd do what no local news outlet is really doing....award winning journalism. The content would include a healthy dose of investigative pieces on the state and local level as well as round table discussions to kick the issues around. Tell us about what the crooked politicians are really doing with our money.
ReplyDeleteThose get ratings but get canceled amid fears the politicians and cops will no longer cooperate or be sources in future reports. No sources = nothing to put on air. Back about ten years or more ago, KRON had a great round-table type program on the weekends with Phil Matier. I believe Catherine Heenen hosted it. Got good ratings but the plug was quickly pulled.
DeleteIt's about entertaining the masses, not informing anybody. It's what Monster Truck rallies are to real sports events.
We all hope so! ...Without a decent lead-in it might be buried at that hour.
ReplyDeleteDrex said on his show last night while interviewing the Bunny Ranch guy (that Ronn interviewed that morning) that when they started 2 months ago they were ranked 28th in the ratings. He wanted to brag that they have moved up to 10th in the ratings. Does that mean for his timeslot? Also, you constantly mention the cackling sidekick he has, turns out thats the former "Nurse Heather" from Dr. Deans radio show for all those years. Looks like shes a longtime KGO producer. Also, today on Ronns show he was off schedule because as he mentioned "they changed the way they're doing commercials to 3 times an hour". Maybe I heard it wrong, but I wonder if your blog posts had something to do with the changes. Worth looking into and possibly doing a future blog post on?
ReplyDeleteFOX AT 4? Might be another couch newscast. Or even more Telemundoish with glass pedestal desks and the ladies in chairs.
ReplyDeleteIts how FOX does things. Or,soon in Oakland.
Anonymous at 10:08: Isn't the 'Hard-hitting investigative journalism' thing being done by NBC Bay Area? I don't actually watch their newscast, but they're constantly running ads patting themselves on the back for their 'looking out for the little guy and stickin' it to The Man' investigative team.
ReplyDeleteI watch Star Trek at 4pm on ME TV.
ReplyDeleteI watched Banicek, all 16 episodes, on ME TV
DeleteColumbo is good too.
DeleteI had no idea how good that show was until I started watching them on ME TV.
As Thomas himself would say, that's "BANACEK!"
DeleteThe original run of Columbo had a superb episode called "Murder By The Book," featuring a script by up-coming writer Steve Bochco and upcoming director Steven Spielberg.
DeleteJust saw former KTVU reporter Katie Utehs on ABC7 4pm News. Like it matters.
ReplyDeleteIt does to some of us. I like her work, alot. Now I just need to figure out how to see her without exposure to Cheryl Jennings!
DeleteThe only reason they are adding newscast is because we are entering the election phase again. Those 4pm newscast are full of LOCAL avails that PAC's will gobble up. Weekends will get beefed up also.
ReplyDeleteThat PAC (dem and repub) money is vital to local newscast survival. Just wait till you see the profit statements from Media General, Scripps,Merideth etc in 2015/16
The 4PM newscast should be hosted by Claudine Wong. She is the best female at channel.
ReplyDeleteDoes this mean they're dumping gawdawful TMZ? I leave the channel on 7 for 4 & 5 news now to avoid contamination by TMZ.
ReplyDeleteLeave absolutely no doubt that 5:06 is correct. This is more about how to gain the most from the forthcoming political season than anything else.
ReplyDeleteSame exact reason for the new MO2 4am start, which has not yet been reported here. Viewers will see a lot of promos inside the 4-4:30am segment until political ads start moving in.
Sales team will now also be able to use 4am (especially) & 4pm as a "bonus" areas to help secure better deals with local & national (non-political) clients, using cumulative HH & demo data.
It's a very smart business move by all Fox O&Os (yes, a few others are rolling out similar expansion plans depending on markets and time zones).
The 4-4:30am segment will be identical to the 4:30-5am block that now exists, so expect the same current production team will handle both (which is what another Fox O&O is doing right now). Only difference will be any "breaking news" that comes forth during that entire early hour, just like it's handled now.
4pm, however, gets a few more bodies to help, but most likely at low-cost AP & freelance levels and such.
Dana and the GSM will help create a better revenue platform with the additional newscasts, which will also help when big news events come along. That way KTVU and other Fox O&Os will already have a larger news viewership platform in place to gain better traction in each market.
I'm excited… Dana is the best ND KTVU has had since Zehnder
ReplyDeletePeople who are home at 4 pm are either watching Dr Phil or getting dinner ready.
ReplyDelete